⭐ 4.3
🌶️ 2

The blurb for this book read like it was exactly my favourite kind of book. It’s cosy, without being too cosy, and super cute. I loved the relationships between the characters. Kiersten and Gemma’s relationship felt like a fairly accurate portrayal of sisters. Aunt Livi is quite possibly the best.

Added to that, Dax was just adorable. He was a supportive best friend without being overly saccharine-sweet. I love a Golden Retriever cinnamon roll, but sometimes they can just kind of grate on me. Dax didn’t.

I would have loved some more Aunt Livi content. She’s hilarious, and badass. And I really love a kickass older supporting character who marches to the beat of her own drum.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, and finished reading it in one sitting.

I loved this book, it was just cute and feel good and really enjoyable. Gemma was relatable and I loved the relationship with her sister and Dax. I also liked how the ending wasn't predictable and she was able to make a sensible, selfless decision. Can't wait to read more from this author!

This was such a cute, wholesome story and surprisingly spicy for a rom-com!

All the characters and their inter-relationships were absolutely perfect, I loved how solid they all were and that made them feel more real.

Gemma is sort of predictable in her reality but I loved watching how she learns to let loose in her new alternate world. I also adored Gemma and her sister's relationship, they both have their ups and downs, but their strong sisterly bond remains throughout.

I'm not usually a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, but this book did not disappoint! I really liked that there were bits of insta-love and fated mate tropes all mixed in all within the alternate universe.

Dax is honestly one of the sweetest MMC’s ever! I love that he would just drop everything to make sure that Gemma was ok.

Overall, I loved the writing style, the unexpected spice, the relationships and the fact it left me wanting more! A definite recommendation to my friends!

"Goodnight, Dax McGuire," I call to him.
"Goodnight, Gemma McGuire," he calls back.
"Slip of the tongue?"
He shrugs and smiles. "Something like that."
----

Gemma's break up that she never thought would come crushes her heart. The whole idea of having a dog, a nice little house and maybe even a baby, thrown out of the window: goodbye. To forget about everything, she uses a spell to make her love life more bearable, a fresh start. And it does happen to be a fresh start because she's woken up in another time-line where her best friend Dax doesn't know who she is and she needs him to undo the spell with a kiss within a month. And when suddenly the line between friends and lovers start to blur as she gets another chance to redo the introduction and become closer to him, she's left with the longing question she never thought she would ask herself: is falling in love with your best friend the right path, only to know her heart will be broken in the end?

Honestly, this was such a cute read. The whole setting, and the realistic side of life was shown so clearly with Gemma, her life just gone upside-down and her self growth throughout this whole book shines through. And slowly realising that her and Dax were never truly meant to just stay friends. I liked the idea of the spell and her having to go through the whole process again to befriend Dax but he's a little different than her original Dax.

Gemma really is a relatable character and I loved knowing her inside thoughts, her inner battles with herself whenever she thought her interactions with Dax were getting a little more than friends. And this book just clearly shows she'll fall in love with any different versions of Dax, even if he's in another time-line (just makes the whole "i'll love you in any universe" thing clear and adorable).

I do think that Gemma and Dax in her original time-line is much better off together, maybe because their life is more better and happier but truly, if Gemma didn't date her ex then both of them wouldn't have had a good life-style and end up together in the end. Also the self-growth in this book is so strong, as she learns to make her own decisions instead of relying on others to clarify her decisions are right.

Overall, such a cute and cozy read to get out of a reading slump💖

Also, there were quite a lot of typos in the book and I realised any words with the letter 'f', there was no f? So the word 'off' was spelt with just 'o' and coffee spelt as 'coee'. But I hope they'll fix this before this book is published!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really great and fun read. I loved the characters and the story. Will look out for more from this author.

I absolutely adored this book!

I have read quite a few stories over the years with the central plot being “What would happen if my decisions were different than the ones I chose”, which haven’t been all that successful, leaving me with a lot of questions and plot holes. However, Kate Robb does this perfectly!

Despite there being somewhat of a “magical” element to the book (as much as we’ve all wished to go back in time to undo mistakes), the story was not at all far fetched and fit close to reality.

These types of stories are always bittersweet in some ways but left me feeling satisfied and was a perfect way to spend the 6 hour car journey as I could NOT put this down!

What would life be like if you made one different choice? Gemma learns the answer to this question the hard way after a night of margaritas and a spell from a strange book in her aunt's shop.
I really enjoyed this book - so much so that I finished it in under 24 hours. I'm a strong believer in fate/destiny/bad things bringing you to where you need to be, so I was lured in my the overbearing topic and I love how it was handled. The characters were believable and I was rooting for them all throughout. I think my favourite scene was the date to the beach and what goes on there.


I will say however, there were a couple of things that threw me off a little. Firstly, why does Gemma keep commenting on her sisters boobs? As a sister myself, I can't say I've ever put any thought into what my sister's boobs are doing. Maybe we just don't have that kind of relationship? Secondly, the over specifics with mentioning certain brands in the first half - I feel like some of these were to highlight Gemma has money but I felt that the reader didn't need an exact toaster or chair brand to understand that. Oh and in the one scene in Dax' cousin's basement, I hadn't realised anyone had left the room and was a little shocked for a moment at proceedings!
On a positive note, I felt the spicy scenes were handled really well and felt realistic, and I appreciated that the main characters seemed to have healthy relationship styles - even when one was having a bad day and acting up, they wouldn't do anything too rash and would almost immediately apologise and explain their feelings.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and will keep my eyes open for future works by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Kate Robb for giving me the opportunity to read this before publication.

As much as I love an enemies to lovers book, boy did I snatch this book up when I found out it was friends to lovers AND a witchy romance. Main character Gemma didn’t see her breakup coming, and while drowning her woes she drunkenly tries a spell that will make her forget her ex. Only it doesn’t work. She wakes up in an alternate universe where her best friend has literally no idea who she is, and the moon needed to power the ritual to set everything right isn’t for another month.

This book was quite predictable, but that didn’t stop me giggling and kicking my feet at points. Dax, the best friend, is utterly in love with her in both universes. It’s the perfect feel-good rom com for October.

Huge thanks to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy this, it was a sweet, easy read but, for me the magical element and mechanics were lacking a bit. I hoped for more explanation of the spell and a bit more difficulty In terms of Dax falling for Gemma again in the spell universe. Dax is great, Gemma is a loveable whirlwind of a character. True love with thankfully, no tragedy.

First of all thankyou to penguin random house for such a great read .

Well first of all this is Kate first book and what a start to her ceerer in writing I'm totally in love with this story .

I thought the plot to the book was just fantastic it captivated me as we are now coming to fall/autumn it's just perfect . It's wonderful cozy read and flows wonderfully.

The charaters are so so well written I really did feel like I could escape into gemma and dax world and we all know I love a friends to lovers story so I was sold .

Thiis did have me laughing which gemma gulid to getting over a break up ...... by sing All By Myself by Celine dion but repeat do not make a tiktok lol I thought that was great!!

I really highly recommend this to all you hardcore romcom lovers like me , it's magical , fun of gone wrong witch spells ,and a whole lots of heart warming moments, whimsical, cosy vibes you will be sold .


I'm giving this wonderful magical book 5 ⭐

Gemma isn't coping with her recent break up so her aunt and sister help her cast a spell to remove him from her life but in doing so Gemma finds herself in an alternate universe where her best friend Fax doesn't know her.

I couldn't get into this book at all. With some characters fully accepting Gemma's story of being from an alternative universe while not telling others it just didn't flow for me. I found the spell a little ridiculous but I did like the alternative universe idea and seeing how their storyline evolved.

Not a book I'd recommend I'm afraid.

This was the perfect read to begin my cozy autumn reading. I loved the contrast of Gemma’s life in the two different realities and her bravery in deciding to go back to her original reality. Great character and relatable. Her relationship with her Aunt and Sister were fabulous as well.

Great read, nice bit of spice and would recommend.
I received this for free from NetGalley but all thoughts and words are my own.

Gemma has a break up with a guy she isn’t sure she loved anyway, but it’s enough that she wishes she could turn back time and have not wasted 4 years with him. She literally gets her wish and finds herself in an alternative timeline where she didn’t meet Stuart and a lot of her goals were achieved - but her best friend Dax, who she has probably loved since first meeting him, also doesn’t know her.

This is a really well written story with a very interesting premise. I loved the concept of waking up in an alternate reality with some things being amazing but missing the one thing that Gemma truly wants. It’s ultimately less witchy than I was expecting with the name and cover, but still a really interesting story.

I think I ultimately needed more of Gemma and Dax upfront to truly be invested in them being soulmates for each other, which is the fundamental part of this story. Their scenes together are very steamy, and overall the book is very flirty, but I was missing a tiny part of their relationship to really solidify it for me.

I also found Gemma to be hard to love at times - she is quite selfish and lacks awareness and whilst she does work through this it is so late in the book I feel I spent more time with her where I disliked her than liked her. I love Dax though, who is an all round charming and funny MC.

I think I have personal issues with the choice of name for the fiancé for Stuart given I’m marrying one, but also I felt the attacks in Stuart for being boring where a bit unnecessary as a plot device. This is though I think very much down to my personal taste on the kind of romantic pairings I like to read about.

I think lots of people will really love this and I’m excited to see what other stories the author comes out with in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I devoured this book. I adore a friend's to lover tropes. Easy to read, great plot, fun and enticing.

Perfect for a summer read.

dax and gemma are the best of friends but what happens if you accidentally get transported to a parallel universe where they are so much more, but it comes at a cost.
a great fun easy read with likeable characters and a great storyline

I really enjoyed this book, how lovely to live an alternative life for a while, pure escapism. A read that draws you in from beginning to end.

Kate Robb has wrote a outstanding book right here, it’s a friends to lovers book and is such a easy flowing book that is so cosy to read, the characters are so loveable and easy to connect with, I truly think this book should be on everyone’s reading list

I can't believe this is a debut book for this author, I liked it so much, and her writing style is as fascinating and interesting as someone who has been writing this type of books for a long time.
The story is very funny and somehow reminds me of the movie 50 first dates, which is very cute. I really enjoyed the alternate reality twist. I always love a good friends to lovers romance. I thoroughly enjoyed the laugh out loud humor throughout the book. This was very fun and quick read which I'm sure you'll like.

About the story:
In the beginning, @kate_robb_writes introduces us with Gemma a seemingly beautiful and funny 28th year old girl who lives a nice and expensive life, with a well-paid job, but breaks up with her boyfriend and in a completely girly style decides to get drunk and do everything possible to forget it, but naturally as a typical childish behavior she decides to try something new related to magic. (Well, believe me, it's definitely not good to try magic love spells while you're drunk)
After waking up, however, she realizes that the spell has really worked, and she finds herself in an alternate universe where not only has she never met her ex and her life isn't what she wanted, but her best friend Dax (who is super sexy in my opinion) doesn't remember her at all. On top of that, she has to convince him that he knows her before the appointed time to hit and she can't break the spell (I know, a little Cinderella style, but it's cool). And from there, the story begins to excite us with every next page.
Gemma tries her best to remind him who she is and comic situations come one after the other, and her aunt Livi and her sister Kiersten are always there for her even in the shenanigans. But through this new experience, between Dax and Gemma a lot of sexy sparks start to fly between them and she starts to see him in a different way that isn't just friendly.
And here comes the question - Should she return to her old life or can she remain in this reality? And what will happen between the two?
If you wanna find out, read the book😉
Story : 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Romance: 💓💓💓
Enjoyment level : ✨✨✨✨✨
Plot: ☀️☀️☀☀️
#netgalleyarcs #netgalleyreads #netgalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is another friends to lovers with a twist of paranormal romance. Its a cozy story and a really quick read. It’s perfect for anyone who loves a good romcom!

I loved this book, it was so different and exploring the opportunity of a do over via an alternative reality.
The characters were extremely likeable and you are routing for Gemma & Dax
It all starts with one little spell, but the wheels are then put in motion when our protgonist is given the opportunitynto live her dream life in an alternate reality. Obviously best friend/soul mate Dax is there, and although initially he doesn't know/recognise her in her 'other life', it affords her the opportunity to explore her relationship with him outdside of the 'friend zone'

Its a lush book and thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review. I kmow its not a massive review but, I really do recommend this book, it will make you smile and laugh out loud at times. Enjoy